Perhaps it’s all the single lanes, but Beyoncé stands accused of stopping traffic in North London after delivery firms reported longer delivery times during the megastar’s run of concerts in Tottenham.
Analysis of vehicle movements revealed last mile delivery services were significantly affected during the start of the UK leg of Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month.
Software specialist Geotab said its data showed congestion, re-routing and safety risks all spiked across key urban areas.
Aggregated telematics data from thousands of commercial vehicles operating across Greater London found an average 45% increase in delivery times within two miles of the stadium, an 80% rise in driver stress indicators such as harsh braking and acceleration and evening delivery runs delayed by an average of 10 minutes per drop.
With over 100,000 fans attending across the opening shows last week - and more expected for the next dates starting June 12 – Geotab said the early data pointed to a pattern of severe disruption for last mile delivery vehicle operators, including gig economy couriers and retail fleets.
“This is a familiar story for any major city hosting large-scale live events - but in dense urban areas like North London, the impact on last mile delivery is even more immediate and far-reaching,” said Abhinav Vasu, associate VP at Geotab.
“Delays, rerouting, the impact on road safety and increased fuel consumption - these issues quickly add up. But we’re also seeing a clear knock-on effect on driver wellbeing: longer hours, tighter margins and tougher roads to navigate.
“Unlike venues such as the O2, which are better equipped to manage large traffic volumes, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sits within a heavily residential area, which makes the disruption more intense, and the ripple effects on local roads and communities even greater.”
Longer delivery times didn’t just inconvenience customers – Geotab added that they also drove up emissions and fuel consumption for fleets.
Vehicles operating near the stadium on June 5 spent an average of 45% longer completing standard routes, with idling time increasing by three-and-a-half minutes per vehicle.
